A Zoo Visitor's Thoughts

I love zoos!   *   What is a zoo?   *   Zoos are endangered!   *   Keep the elephants!   *   Zoos are for adults, too!   *   Comparing Elephant Webcams and Elephants   *   I love the Elmwood Park Zoo!   *   How do you pronounce oh-KAH-pee?   *   I love the National Zoo! (for 11 great reasons!)   *   There is a Moral to This (True) Story!   *   A Trend Turnaround   *   I love the Elmwood Park Zoo and the National Zoo's websites!   *   Winds of Change are in the Air!   *   Research Results   *   Don't Do It!

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

My Favorite Zoo (Exhibits/Areas)!

All my life, I have had a favorite zoo - one that stood out from all the others. The El Paso Zoo, the San Antonio Zoo, the National Zoo, the Detroit Zoo, the Columbus Zoo, the Bronx Zoo, and the Philadelphia Zoo, all have been my favorites at one time or another, for varying periods of time.

But zoos are all changing now, so I don't think I'll ever again find a single zoo that meets all my requirements to be a perfect zoo.

However, in my mind, where all sorts of strange things happen, I can imagine that all my favorite exhibits and areas of the nearby zoos are together in one zoo, so that will be my new favorite zoo.

Below are the exhibits/buildings/areas of the local zoos which I wish I could gather together in one place to create a very special zoo which would have everything I want in a zoo and none of the things I don't want (like rides, concerts, shows, theaters, computer/game rooms, and all those other distractions!)

Jungle World (Bronx Zoo). This fascinating indoor landscape-immersion exhibit transports visitors to a completely different part of the world the minute they walk through the doors. Tree kangaroos, tapirs, binturongs, and ebony gibbons are among the many kinds of creatures that can be seen and heard as they go about their daily lives in this best-of-all-the-exhibits-I-have-ever-seen exhibit!

Carter Giraffe building (Bronx Zoo). You can sit inside in the winter and spend quality time up close to the giraffes in this "open-air" indoor exhibit. You can hear the footsteps ... the snorts ... the munching ... There aren't even any bars between you and the giraffes!

Aquatic Bird House (Bronx Zoo) When I was a child, we lived in Florida for a while, where roseatte spoonbills were everywhere. But I was never able to get as close to one as I can in the wonderful open-air indoor exhibit area inside this building that features roseatte spoonbills and scarlet ibises. And, on hot summer days, I can cool off as I watch puffins swim around in their air-conditioned exhibit area which is designed to make visitors feel like they are on the Scottish cliffs.

Baboon Reserve (Bronx Zoo). The "hairy baboon" tribes that inhabit this exhibit live almost exactly as they would in the wild. And visitors can view them from several different positions and angles.

Sea Lion Pool (Bronx Zoo) They swim, they sunbathe, they have a great time, and so do the visitors who have plenty of room to stand all around this open-air exhibit.

Congo Gorilla Forest (Bronx Zoo). You don't just see gorillas in this combination landscape-immersion/open-air/glassed-in exhibit, although the gorillas are the main attraction. But I like watching the okapis and the red-river hogs even more. (If I could, I would change a few things about the way this exhibit is designed, but, because there is plenty of room for visitors to stand and view the animals, lots of places for visitors to sit and observe animals, and because there are so many animals, and so many species represented, I will include it in my composite zoo.)

Outdoor bird exhibits (National Zoo)
This is my favorite area of the National Zoo. Peaceful and scenic. Beautiful (and not so beautiful) birds are everywhere on both sides of a path leading to the equally impressive Bird House. Visitors often say the Marabou storks are "ugly", but they are my favorite inhabitants of the National Zoo.

Elephant House (National Zoo) This is my second favorite part of the National Zoo. Inside the building, visitors can see elephants up close and watch the keepers perform their daily routines. Outside, the elephants have a large swimming pool to play in on hot summer days. And, in both places, there is plenty of viewing space so visitors feel welcome to stay and observe all the activity for as long as they want. (Plus, the crystal-clear images on the webcams installed both inside and outside of this building allow visitors to view the elephants from their home computers day and night!)

Stingray habitat, part of the Amazonia Exhibit (National Zoo). Here you can look down into the water and see stingrays, large and small, swimming past. This is another special exhibit with no physical barriers between viewers and creatures. You literally could reach over and stick your hand down in the water if you had a very long arm and very little sense.

Seals and Sea Lion exhibit (National Zoo) This open-air exhibit has places for visitors to stand or sit and watch seals and sea lions and also has an underwater viewing area.

Invertebrate Exhibit (National Zoo) Where else could I see a real, live octopus up close every day if I wanted to?

Primate Reserve (Philadelphia Zoo) Perfect viewing areas ... a great variety of primates ... places to sit and observe ... one of the best parts of the Philadelphia Zoo.

Reptile and Amphibian House (Philadelphia Zoo) This is another great building with indoor exhibits featuring a wonderful variety of reptiles and amphibians, all of which can be seen up very close in natural-looking settings.

Small Mammal House (Philadelphia Zoo) From aardvarks to zebra mice; they are all inside this "old" building, which I hope never gets renovated. The sloths are my favorite inhabitants in this building, and their exhibit area is the best because there are no barriers between the visitors' viewing angle and the animals.

African Plains area (Philadelphia Zoo) Open-air views of rhinos, giraffes, zebras, antelope, and storks make this area special! (Note: Watch for this area to become even more special within the next five to ten years.)

Giraffe/Okapi building (Maryland Zoo) Second only to the Bronx Zoo's Carter Giraffe building, this building with its artistically designed indoor viewing area is great (except for the glass, which I would replace with piano wire).

Chimpanzee exhibit (Maryland Zoo) The exhibit is not perfectly-designed, but it IS the only chimpanzee exhibit nearby.

Rhinoceros exhibit (Maryland Zoo) Open-air viewing ... two huge rhinos together ... scenic outdoor landscape ... plenty of room for visitors to stand and observe ... just what I like!

Eagle exhibit (Elmwood Park Zoo) This exhibit features open-air viewing of eagles on the ground a few feet away and perched in trees a few yards away.

Prairie Dog exhibit (Elmwood Park Zoo) This open-air exhibit allows visitors to view prairie dogs of all ages and all the entrances and exits to their tunnels.

Exotic Animal Building (Brandywine Zoo) There is always a flurry of furry tamarin activity going on in this building. And, sometimes, visitors can see a huge snake swallowing a ... well, you have to see that for yourself! (Don't worry - it's not a tamarin.)

Otter exhibit (Brandywine Zoo) Visitors can view two playful otters from above or watch them swim underwater.

Animal Kingdom Zoo - entire zoo This entire small zoo could be the Children's Zoo area of my zoo. Instead of feeding sheep and goats, children could feed all sorts of primates, llamas, camels, antelope and even tapirs!

Then, if I could gather all the benches from the National Zoo which provide visitors with places to sit and observe the animals, I would have everything I need.

I would have my new favorite zoo!

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Monday, July 02, 2007

I love the Elmwood Park Zoo and the National Zoo's Websites!

Want to learn something while you are just sitting at home or at work staring at a computer screen? Why not look at zoo websites?

I recommend looking at the Elmwood Park Zoo's website if you are at work. Once you start looking at the National Zoo's website, you won't be able to stop looking, maybe for hours. And if your boss catches you, you may find yourself not working, maybe for years.

Both of these websites are very attractively designed and are easy to navigate. But they also include something that many other zoo websites don't. They have photos and information about the animals they exhibit.

The Elmwood Park Zoo's animal profiles section is separated into five categories: mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and arthropods. If you click on the Mammals tab, you will see a list of all Elmwood Park Zoo inhabitants who are mammals. You can then find your favorite mammal inhabitant on the list, click, and see a photo plus information about that animal, the very one you see at the zoo!

"Awesome!" said my neighbor's nine-year old son when I told him and his mother about the website.

"Yes!" I said.

The National Zoo's Animals, etc. page includes links that let you get to the information in several different ways. You can search for animals by classification, you can search for animals that are in specific areas of the zoo, or you can search through an alphabetical list of all the animals at the Zoo. On this website, you see photos, information, and, in many cases, webcam views of the animals!

"Awesome!" said my neighbor's nine-year old son again when I told him and his mother about the website.

"Yes!" I said.

I love the Elmwood Park Zoo and the National Zoo's websites! (and so does my neighbor's nine-year old son!)

Labels: Elmwood Park Zoo, National Zoo

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Wednesday, June 27, 2007

I love the Elmwood Park Zoo!

The Elmwood Park Zoo is one of the most scenic, peaceful zoos on earth. Even special events don't seem to interfere with its overall tranquility. When you enter the zoo, you can literally feel your muscles relax as the calming atmosphere of a true zoological park surrounds you. (Be careful if you have been tense for a long time prior to entering the zoo. When your body suddenly relaxes, you might wobble.)

The Zoo is small (only 16 square acres), but it feels like wide open natural spaces in a park-like setting. As you walk, you see plants, trees, and animals on both sides of the path. You hear all-natural animal sounds, and in many areas, you also hear the sound of water flowing in a nearby stream.

The exhibits are all designed so the animals have plenty of space, but can't be too far away from the visitors' view. Jaguars, coatimundis, tamarins, fishers, porcupines, wolves, foxes, cougars, elk, buffalo, bighorn sheep, prairie dogs, bats, burrowing owls, egrets, cranes, and peregrine falcons share the Zoo territory with alligators, snakes, turtles, and piranhas. And none of them try to eat each other.

Seniors can sit on benches and people-and-animal-watch. Families can sit at picnic benches and munch on snacks. College students can lie on the grass and study. Children can play in the scenically-designed playground, climb a play tree with a pretend eagle's nest on top, or crawl through a child-sized prairie dog tunnel.

I have been visiting the Elmwood Park Zoo for more than thirty years, and I have never heard, If you don't behave, we're going home! or It's almost time for the football game, or even My feet hurt, while at the zoo.

I have read that the average time zoo visitors at most zoos spend at each exhibit is 60 seconds, give or take a few seconds. And I've witnessed visitors in some other zoos passing exhibits so quickly they appeared as a blur to the naked eye. But at the Elmwood Park Zoo, visitors of all ages linger at the exhibits.

Visitors stop, lean on the wooden fences, or iron railings, and quietly watch the animals for several minutes at a time. Usually when they talk, they talk in hushed voices so they won't disturb the animals. They even wait when an animal isn't immediately visible, hoping it will come into view.

What causes this unusual visitor behavior? What happened to all that fast-walking, loud-on-a-cell-phone-talking, rapid-chewing-hardly-swallowing, no-way-to-get-my-attention-unless-you-bombard-my-senses, we-have-to-hurry-because-we-have-twenty-other-things-to-do-today behavior all those people were engaged in before they entered the zoo?

It's gone with the breeze.

Labels: Elmwood Park Zoo, zoo visitors

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